The Prevalence and Associations of Peripheral Retinopathy: Baseline Study of Guangzhou Office Computer Workers

Abstract

Purpose To determine the prevalence of peripheral retinopathy and its associated risk factors among a sample of Guangzhou office computer workers. Methods A cross-sectional study of Guangzhou Chinese computer workstations and operators in different departments and units of the Guangzhou Power Supply Bureau, China, in 2016. Peripheral retinopathy was recorded and analyzed using a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO; Optos, Daytona, United Kingdom) and slit-lamp microscopy combined with a three-mirror contact lens. Results The 1934 eyes of 967 subjects (513 females and 454 males) were included in this study. In total, 79.1% of the eyes were myopic in workers aged 20–29 years, 72.9% in workers aged 30–39 years, 62.2% in workers aged 40–49 years, and 43.4% in workers aged 50–59 years (p < 0.001). Most eyes had optic nerve crescents (81.3%). Various peripheral degenerations were found: 7 eyes (0.4%) had microcystoid degeneration, 40 (2.1%) had peripheral pigmentary degeneration, 87 (4.5%) had lattice degeneration, and 4 (0.2%) had snail-track degeneration. Nineteen (1.0%) eyes had paving-stone degeneration, 11 (0.6%) eyes had a retinal hole or tear, and 16 (0.8%) eyes had chorioretinal degeneration. Multivariate regression confirmed that greater axial length (OR: 1.18 (1.03, 1.35), p=0.012) and more serious spherical equivalent (OR: 0.82 (0.77, 0.88), p < 0.001) were significant risk factors for peripheral retinal changes. Conclusion Peripheral retinal degenerative changes were found in a larger proportion of younger computer workers than older ones. Myopia is occurring in younger and younger people, accompanied by peripheral retinal degeneration.

Subfoveal Scleral Thickness is Associated With Peripheral Retinal Changes in High Myopia in Children and Adolescents

“…In general, the retinal changes in high myopia are believed as resulting from the mechanical elongation of the scleral caused by the excessive axial elongation of the eyeball. In several studies, it has been demonstrated that the increased prevalence of PRC was associated with the rise of either axial length (AL) or spherical equivalent refraction (SER) [5,12,13,9,14]. Therefore, it is speculated in this study that the thinning of the posterior scleral causes the increase of axial length and elongation of the retinal, thus leading to peripheral retinal changes.…”

Visual Light Leak in High-Frequency Electromagnetic Radiation Hole: A Photon-Electron Theory for Living Tissue for Explaining Myopia

“…From 350 BC to now, literature has showed hypotheses about etiology of myopia such as lack of enough outdoor activities and too long time of near work 1 , literature suggested that blue light from screen may correlate with myopia 3,4 , but the identical effect of blue light remains unclear [3][4][5] . The specific causes of myopia remain undefined 1,6,7 .…”

Visual Light Leak in High-Frequency Electromagnetic Radiation Hole: A Photon-Electron Theory for Living Tissue for Explaining Myopia

“…From 350 BC to now, literature has showed hypotheses about etiology of myopia such as lack of enough outdoor activities and too long time of near work 1 , literature suggested that blue light from screen may correlate with myopia 3,4 , but the identical effect of blue light remains unclear [3][4][5] . The specific causes of myopia remain undefined 1,6,7 .…”